Wash-down and cementing attachment for well casings



July 8', 1941. D. SCARAMUCCI WASH-DOWN AND CEMENTING ATTACHMENT FOR WELL CASINGS Filed 001:. 4, 1959 PatentedJuly 8, 1941 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE.

WASH-DOWN AND cmN'rING Armenm'r FOB Wm cssmcs Donner Scaramucei, Oklahoma City. Okla. as-

eering slgnor to Oil Equipment lngin Corporation, Oklahoma City, Okla., a corporation of Oklahoma Application October 4, 1939, Serial No. 297,927 e v 7 Claims. (Cl. 16H) arrangement of discharge openings for pressure fluid and cement. I

Specifically, provision is tovbe' made for a guide or float shoe which has side-delivery openings adapted to produce a uniform, circular downward discharge of fluid. Important features of the side-delivery means are an annular header and a resilient bame orvalve ring.

Hitherto, it has been the practice'to utilize a shoe having separate side-ports which are always open to create an obiectionable wall washing eflect as the casing is landed, and which tend to remove the protective wall layer, causing the hole to cave. In such prior devices, the side jetting action has been combined with a straight downward one, with the result that the eflectiveness of the main or downward let in removing bridges has been reduced because of flow division. Therefore, it is intended to provide an attachment of this type in which the resilient banle means will effect at least a partial fluid seal of the side-delivery openings to avoid any wall washing when the main e is open,- and which afterlanding on bottom will open for the" discharge of cement. By limiting the cement discharge to a lateral one, contamination of oil and below the shoe will be prevented. The novel construction to be described provides a valved side-delivery attachment which requires no sliding parts and spring means which are difllcult to drill up. or any other external device which would increase the overall diameter of the attachment to an objectionable extent.

A further specific object of this invention is the elimination of the possibility of uneven dis- Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1.

Referring to H8. 1- of the drawing, numeral ill indicates generally the well casing attachment which is in the form of a guide shoe attached to the end of a well casing section I! by means of .a threaded connection It between a cylindrical,

tubular member II and said casing section it.

. The tubular member II is in the form of a steel shoe and has an internal threaded connection II at its lower end with a drlllable plug ll of material such as Bakelite, cementitious material or aluminum. It will be noted that plug II has an end I. projecting below the shoe it which is pointed or rounded for guiding purposes.

A longitudinal peway 22 of relatively large diameter extends centrally through the tribution of the cement or channeling by providing a header conduit which produces a uniform circular discharge.

Further novel features of improvement contributing to the ease of manufacture and eflldrillable plug II and is in open communication with a plurality of relatively small, laterally extending pes 24 which open exteriorly of the plug- II to serve side-delivery means described hereinafter. A little below the lateral es 24, the passageway 22 is reduced somewhat in diameter to give greater kinetic energy to the" position to cover the header II and thus to prevent discharge from the lateral passages 24 unless sufllcient pressure is applied on its inner side to flex it away from the plug means It, in Y the manner illustrated by Fig. 2.

An inwardly extending mounting shoulder 30 on the upper end of ring '28, which may be moldcient operation of the attachment will be pered, of rubber, is received in a complemental recess 32 of the plug it above the header or groove 28. Further note is made of a concaved recess groove 34 in the upper end of ring it for cooperation with the lower end of shoe II, and of the fact that the effective part of said ring may be substantially uniform in thickness.

The flexibility of the lower edge of the resilient ring 28 'may be enhanced by conlcavlng or inwardly curving its outer face it, as shown by the cross-section of this element in Fig. 1. Ad- Jacent the header It and balls or valve ring 20,

the plug ll hasa narrow or necked portion 80, Y

to accommodate the ring within the outside dimeter of the shoe l6 and the guide end 20, as

j v is desirable.

The operation of the attachment comprising this invention will now be summarized. As the casing I2 is lowered through the well .bore, it will be guided by the rounded or pointed end 20 extending below the shoe l6. and any bridges or other impediments will be removed by the action of a jet of pressure fluid through the main,.lon gitudinal passageway 22. By reason of the relatively small flow area provided by the lateral passages 24, their arrangement wlth'respect to the passageway 22, and the suction efiect produced by the rapid flow of fluid downwardly through said passageway, a partial fluid seal will be obtained at the annular header 2B which will be sufficient to prevent any objectionable wall washing. Of course, the side-delivery means is normally closed by the resilient action of valve or baflie ring 28, although the groove 26 provides a circumferential passage connecting the outer ends of the lateral passages 24 even when the ring 28 is unflexed. When the casing is landed on bottom, the side-delivery means comprising passages'2l, header 26, and the rubber valve or bailie ring 28 will be opened so that cement may.

be discharged diagonally downward in a ring form of let, due to the closing of the bottom opening of the passageway 22 by the formation.

Accordingly, it will be recognized that the attachment which this invention provides is capable, in an improved manner, of Washing down a well wall, removingbridges ahead of the casing to be landed, guiding the casing, and discharging cement laterally after the casing is on bottom. From the standpoint of construction, it is extremely simple and economical.

While only a guide shoeconstruction is illustrated and described, conventional check valve means may be incorporated therein so that. it will function as a floatanld guide shoe. It is to be noted further that the principles of this in-, vention may easily be adapted to-side-delivery float collar construction. Obviously, numerous variations can be made in the details'of construction which will come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. i

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a wash-down. cement and guide shoe having communicating downward and lateral discharge openings therein and an annular header groove joining the lateral to the shoe, so that its other end will be free to flex away from the outer ends of, said passages.

3. In combination with a wash-down, guide, and cementing shoe having a longitudinal pas,- sageway therethrough and lateral discharge passages communicating with said' longitudinal passageway, a continuous, resilient bafile ring arranged over the outer ends of said lateral passages and secured by one end to the shoe, so

that its other end will be free to flex away from,

the outer ends of said passages, said shoe being reduced in diameter adjacent the outer ends of the lateral passagesto accommodate the battle ring.

4. A wash-down and cementing attachment for well casing comprising a tubular member adapted for connection to the end of a casing section; a drillable plug retained within the tubular member, said plug being formed with a plug provided with a longitudinal pa sa eway extending into and secured within the shoe mem: her and having-a pointed guide end projecting therefrom, the plug having also'a plurality of lateral passages communicating withthe passageway and an annular header groove joining the outer ends of its lateral passages; and a resilient baffle ring secured by its upper edge exteriorly of the plug for closing the header groove,

discharge openings, a resilient valve ring secured in position around said shoe so as ,nor-

mally to cover the lateral discharge openin s and annular groove, and having one ed e -..fre

to'flex away from the shoe. said annular header groove and valve ring being constructed and arranged to provide a circumf rential passage con- 'necting the outer ends of the lateral discharge passages when said ring is unflexed. 2. In combination with a wash-down, guide,

and cementing shoe having a longitudinal pas-l sageway with a reduced diameter lower end extending therethroughand lateral discharge passages communicating with said longitudinal the lower edge of said ring being arranged to flex outwardly to permit a downward, lateral discharge therefrom.

6. A wash-down and cementing attachment I sageway to its outer surface, and an annular groove connecting the outer ends of said passages; and a rubber valve ring having an inwardly extending shoulder on its upper edge secured to the plug, and arranged normally to close the annular groove therein.

7-. A cementing attachment for well casing, comprising, a cylindrical, tubular shoe member adapted to be connected to the end of a casing: a drillable plug provided with a longitudinal passageway, said plug extending into and secured within the shoe member and having a pointed guide end projecting therefrom, the plug having also a plurality of lateral passages communicating with the passageway and an annular header groove joining the outer ends'of its lateral passages; and a resilient baiiie ring exteriorly of the plug for closing the header groove. 

